Clouds of Storm

嵐の雲

"Power Japan! Down the N2! Power Japan! Down the N2! Cheer with me! Don't allow that the communist threat corrupts our beautiful nation, force Japan! Let's fight for our rights. Today western tides and leftist movements invade our country and try to destroy the culture of our ancestors. Let us plead for the children and for our families, down the industries and the technological tyranny down the N2! Let us expel the invaders, let us conserve the purity of our town, don't let that the sickle cuts your tongue, neither the hammer breaks your knees. Power Japan! Down the N2! Power Japan!"

The base of destiny was already installed, twelve years after the birth of the new millennium. Purely deplorable, the end of the ordinary words, the beginning of the individual's emancipation. That incomprehensible subjection without face neither memory confirmed the creation of a state of high tension. The tentative of a time of changes and without a visible solution.

Sincerely there was nothing else to do. The Nicolae II was already in operation for a while and, it would not be stopped by the simple demands of the minorities that quickly began to sprout and to multiply. Of sworn spirit to make fall in a unanimous way the occident conditions. "This will take us to war"! They said. They qualified it as the first great stupidity of the century, the last decadence of the human reason. I support that description, and in my opinion it is only the beginning. An extreme impression that makes me resist the effects of a hard and indefinite purpose and that however ends up burying any incentive to continue my life peacefully.

Any national feeling would be considered an infamous mistake although it was only to check that the world went by a nameless sight. Minute by minute the anger managed our hearts slowly to go against those who believed our friends. Just too finally characterize those months of quick and dangerous course.

What lesson could we take out of all this? To probes we would know these answers during the last week. Word for word I could inscribe terrifying predictions, but in spite of having fantastic details and until mythical they won't be precipitate.

The elements assigned to the humanity are in good part fantasies and speculations impelled by the hate and ignorance. The prodigious resonant spirit that lowers all the syntheses could not ignore its own primitive and self-destructing weight.

The reality of Tokyo was of euphoric inspiration, illuminated by the flash of the lightning. At the same time impenetrable, for the construction of ideally negative groups. Without near times to justify such visions. The city was in alert.

The streets were been worth nothing else that strangers of another time. Determined to the disintegration of all fraternity. Sometimes opposed, the demonstrators met under a gray and silent sky. On the puddles they crossed their tired legs, between the roofs are listening to the echo of their throats worn by the unconformity. As the howl of languid and solitary wolves. Absorbed in their divine right of perpetuating the free man's duties.

The course of those discussions could be heard invoking to the force by all collective means. But we should affirm to what constituted any adhesion of not being blind to some of these groups.

Parallel we saw as the media took charge to scare us with cynic comments; denaturalized. And they do it so well that the reasons were not necessary. We contemplated fascinated the old scars of our history, the heroism, the bravery. As well the transformation of a town in a grotesque copy of what the force offered, exposed by the suppression of the ideologies.

I could appreciate the level of fanaticism closely, of impulsive and unconscious consumerism that crossed the nation. The different separatists groups and, I only say it for the name that they behaved. Since, indifferent some with other possessed like base the same ideal: to liberate Japan of the western dominance and of the neighboring ideologies. Claiming this they renamed like the new order and defense of the greater good.

"Bunch of Idiots!" I used to think. Investigating with their advertising movements, somehow, to the first hypocrite and lacking character that peeked to their false eloquence. Apart from the sterile and often slowed concept of free thought. It was not odd to be missed strayed in all measure to the violence and the reaction of the authority.

But it is only a thought, since the count of individuals in radical groups arrived at the eighty thousand and it continued increasing. Already insinuating the future to which were dragged, while they complained and they caused confrontations using audacious and however unjustified pretexts.

The violations to the authorities were clamored with happiness and, these had demonstrated so much meekness that the own officials seemed in favor of the rebellion.

The decrees were already established and, gradually had to appeal to superior powers of the Government when the police forces were not enough. Such it was the appreciation of what was happened that military units could already be seen disseminated in the whole area. Watching over the hotheads with an incorruptible determination. They were sure, however, that with their presence the things would not pass to bigger.

Of advance it had been thought that due to this the citizens would opt for not leaving to the street for their security, but strangely a couple of days before the arrival of the army they had already begun to stay at home as a curfew had been ruled of. Something that never happened and it surely never went by the Government's head. It wouldn't be considered perhaps in these times to Japanese people as internal destructive beings. Without denying the wickedness that exists in my country I should say that in that occasion the possibility of losing the control of the civic ones was never seen and less of a civil confrontation.

The minority that still continued in the streets was mobilized in big groups. They generally remained in one place. Static and silent they sat down to scarce meters to the officials. I saw them through the blinds for several minutes; studying them in a way.

They took a characteristic gear to be identified, something like a white and red plunger with a band in the head, most was peaceful, but the most radical groups that had already acted with violence in the first manifestations, that began this year when north-Korean agents were accused of sabotaging several communication lines near Vladivostock, in Russia, to enter Japan although it was denied by the authorities. They deteriorated the relationships likewise with Russia that supposedly it had allowed this and, then that a satellite that is said works like weapon and it points on us. The Nicolae II in honor to the last Czar of history, although there were not evidence that it was certain.

The Nation was in chaos, several institutions had stopped to work, every time less people it was seen in the streets fearing that the war exploded. Many saw this as imminent and they considered the resolutions of our leaders as insufficient after the direct threats of North-Korea. The end of the peace was question of time.

I set in my cloister in those times only to ignore of what happened out side. Avoiding the immense uneasiness that all this produce me.

Surrounded of boxes, old newspapers and my roommate's computers. It spent almost whole day reading the same announcements in the darkness with the infernal buzzing of the machines perforating me brain.

Koushirou arrived every day at seven in the afternoon without fail or retard to check the equipment and to continue working the whole night tracking information that continually deprived me, he left then exactly every morning at seven; "wait and you will see" he said while it typed without turning to see me. Until eventually I got tired of waiting and I lost the interest in what he was doing.

However I already belonged to the select group of a new company of three members… the other one is Kido Shuu, who Koushirou found wandering in the university one month ago and offered him to be part of the project (by the way, both attend the Tokyo University while Shuu already graduated). Koushirou and I meet one year ago just when I newly left Odaiba after being accepted. With the others I had no contact anymore; not even with my brother. My life was had turned insipid and not very healthy, a routine without exit that seemed depressing every time that I looked to the mirror.

I already had a month in the apartment since class was suspended indefinitely, without remembering the light of the sun neither people's faces. Shuu brought the food every day, since also passed enough time with us and it was the only one that hasn't exile of the world and not spends 24 hours of the day looking at a monitor.

- Udon, Soba and… Sumashijiru! For me. C'mon, don't be slack; come to get your share -.

- Leave it on the table - it was heard at the same time. - Where? In that table with a million pages above, remains of garbage and… are those fingernails? -, - seeds! - I respond.

- And I meant that table -. I pointed of course toward a group of spread boxes covered with powder that could have hidden anything with the darkness. - One second - I said and I went unwillingly to uncover a small folding table of the only place where it fit on.

- There you go - I said while I prepared to eat.

- Will you come, Koushirou-kun? -. - Why the delay? - He asks suddenly without turning.

- What? -.

- You are late fifteen minutes, just want to know what happened -, say always looking at the screen.

- You are right, it's that they requested for my identification; the soldiers, you know how it is -. We were in silence for a moment while we served the food.

-I wait that excuse has justified me, or not, boss? -, he jokes then when while we ate.

- I know that you both don't take very seriously what I'm doing here, but when you see the discoveries that I have made your opinion will change -.

- It's just that, you have done everything. You can't give credit to us -.

- C'mon, you are part of this to; I couldn't do it without your help… I mean, how could I eat without Shuu or how could I achieved my current concentration without having to avoid your boring comments? -, did he express in such a kind way what it caused grace; something not very common in him.

- Ah! I have a surprise -. It took out a paper of their pocket that stressed with big letters his name.

- Will we be able to expose our discoveries before an audience, isn't great? -, he says happily.

- I already told you that we wouldn't bring people here again, the last time we had to remove all the walls so that they fit all. Without mentioning that it was a flop -.

-Anyway, not for nothing are called "type study" apartments, and is not any presentation, they grant us a place on the Centennial Hall of the Technological Institute, what do you think? - Saying this we look at him fixedly without understanding.

-let me see that -, I said removing him peacefully the paper of his hands.

- The Student of Sciences of the Information Izumi Koushirou…etc. December of 2012 yada 17, yada, yada… 10:30 of the morning in the room of conferences… Kido Shuu… Interpretation of the Computer Language… what is this? I think that you would talk about the Digiworld -.

-Yeah well, it is that I thought that it wouldn't have credibility if I mentioned what all have bean denying during the last years -, he said with a more veiled voice.

I still don't understand, why now if you have it requesting for months? In addition, why doesn't my name appear here? -. - Ah that, is that I didn't remember that you studied and well… sorry about that-.

-It's ok; it's Literature by the way -.

To be honest -, he said now more serious, - they gave me this opportunity to discredit me and to put in ridiculous any intent to clarify or at least to prove that everything was real -, it concluded with all naturalness while he ate another mouthful.

- So, in conclusion, they gave us the opportunity to prove that they are wrong and to promote the belief that another world exists besides this in spite of the continuous intents of erasing all track of what happened years ago - Shuu said.

-Yes - Koushirou responded to dry.

-Cool -.

The name was something like that like Investigation Center for the Statistical Interpretation of the Digital World". A project that it flourished in the first years of preparatory of Koushirou after an unfortunate event:

- How long has been? -, I ask after a while.

- How is that? -.

- Since it's closed; you know -.

- Six years -, he responded without I finished speaking.

-but to say that it's closed it's a little abrupt, it can be that just a door was closed and we only look for other way, is one of the answers that have looked for during this whole time without success -.

-Six years -, I thought. -even so, everything has become quite depressing since then. Thinking that we depended so much of the Digiworld to feel this emptiness -.

-We haven't lost it -, he reclaimed to me. It continues being where always only that we can't longer see it -.

- And what do you see exactly in those screens the whole day? The only thing that I distinguish are numbers and digits that I don't understand-.

-Wait and you will see, you will find out of everything the day of the conference, now there's not time -.

- Time? But if you spend there the whole day; at least you could give us an advance? -.

-patience my friend, every thing in it's time. The only thing that I will say is that the Digiworld has changed from the last time we saw it -.

-what ever; don't I have to go to that conference right? -.

-of courser, you are part of the group and besides me you were also a chosen children. That is good as attraction for those that still believe. Lately I have spoken with many people that are very excited to know the information that I have gathered… -.

-Ok, ok… I will go. But I won't say anything. -

-Don't you worry; I will take charge of that. You will help me whit other stuffs that I will explain to you later -.

-I suppose that we don't get paid for this-. I asked.

-Absolutely not, they are not more than scientific goals. We should be thanked by this opportunity -.

Nobody really knows reason the Digiworld closed their gates, although the truly terrible thing was like in several parts of the world it's began to rebut the idea that the incidents in Odaiba and other places never happened, like if everything was an invention or a massive hallucination product from a terrorist attack similar from 1995, reason for the lack of evidence made people begin to doubt if they were really unknown creatures that appeared 10 years ago or there was only an illusion effect of the collective hysteria.

Big part of the blame was of the authorities, for begin to deny the events immediately, mainly for not having a logical explanation of what it had passed, although the most fearless say that the government already possessed information about these monsters and that they wanted to maintain it secretly to then use it to his benefit. I also blame myself and the other chosen by not making anything while this happened, I mean, many stayed in the anonymity and we were reluctant to mentioning the theme fearing losing our privacy or our digimons. Slowly everything was forgetting and in a couple of years the theme it wasn't even mentioned.

Then, what I already said, in September of 2006 it was not possible for none of us to return to that world and less to meet with our partners. Of there from now on we all take different roads without knowing about anybody and leaving a time of big adventures behind; leaving the childhood behind. Now presently I see a painful and dismal reality. We are on the edge of the war and it doesn't seem to have form of avoiding it, the streets are not safe, people are afraid and I am here contained as a resentful coward of the society waiting anything less than a miracle that make to leave.

The blissful conference was not one of those reasons and so ever; in fact I hoped to convince Koushirou of not attend in the last moment since only the fact of having to face the life it's turn unbearable.

- What are you looking for exactly? - Shuu said while he came closer to the monitors.

-I don't now - Koushirou said sighing and leaning back.

-I am sure that I can decode simpler structures if only found a specific location -.

- What do you mean? -.

-Some time ago I discovered that the Digiworld continuous the patterns of our world; as copying it. And if I check that the time-space continues altered it could predict things that don't still pass in this world -.

- Time-space? -.

-You'll see, before the Digiworld advanced way faster in relation to us, in only one day years passed there. Then this anomaly was compensated and both worlds advanced to the same speed. But recently I realized that for the way in that things occurred that continuity it had bean broken again, so in theory it could work -.

-that sounds complicated. You realize that that could finish checking what Einstein said -. I followed this conversation something perplexed.

-No necessarily, because we could not affirm that we share relativity with that world, mainly because we cannot say that we occupy the same space or in what dimension its stands -.

-What I'm making now it is to give a coded proposal and to direct it blindly hoping something of information comes unfastened; something like a rebound -.

- And why you tell him that instead me? -, I say naively.

-Because him showing true interest, what you should try -. Finishing saying this looked at their clock and prepared to leave.

-I left one of those proposals working now and I hope you warn me of any event. I will be where always -.

Without realizing, it was mourning already and my roommate went to the university to continue working.

-They would know that it has dawned if you only opened the blinds… - Shuu said coming closer to the window.

-Don't! -, we exclaim at the same time.

-What? -

-Those blinds have not opened in six months and if the light eventually enters we could be a trouble-.

-You're kidding, right?

-Takeru has not seen the light of the sun in more than thirty days, to that I refer; now you go away of there please -.

-OK, but it is not very healthy -.

Shuu was right in that. The reality was that in some moment I would have to go out even if I didn't want. Without reproaching them, that both knew why it had renounced to the exterior of these four walls I couldn't avoid to think that it had corrupted through my actions a fact that affected me deeply.

Soon Shuu would also leave, because he has other things to do. They both were received in the university in spite of being closed, just for be outstanding students and not for the investigation that it had not wanted to be financed. I, on the other hand, would have to wait alone the whole weekend for the resolution of what should I do if truly had to attend or not to the conference.

My intention is not to narrate them my days of loneliness. Here in the darkness it's doesn't happens much more than hearing the sinister tone of the equipment. Rather I wanted to make mention from that other individual to which sometimes costs a lot of work to attribute him some function that is not by essence complicated.

Izumi Koushirou. It's hard to find words for such a complicated person. I recognized it immediately when I was walking in Campus, in a time when I was less miserable.

Strangely I doubted if to speak to him or not since I never met him very well, however, hardly he saw me he invited me to come closer. With the intention of being part of their group of course, something that I'm still no able to commit. Stressing their hermeticism would say that in the course of a year we have become friends; I believe. Although it is sometimes difficult not to feel lonely with the personification of the pragmatism. In fact, I got used quicker to Shuu, who was more sociable. Many times, we stayed talking for hours about anecdotes to make fun of Jyo or of how he had step a side so that their brother continued the family medical tradition. But I don't know if I could say that this company was enough, after all I continued depressed and contained.

Feeling sometimes that our coexistence was a farce, It gave the impression that my loneliness depended on the necessary acceptance of some defect or artificial abjection.

With the belief that my predilection for misery was due to another thing, per se, unaware to the sympathy of my fellows, I couldn't discover the exact reason of why I was afflicted. Finally, I opted to ignore the reality and to be prone as a bundle.

Many times I lost the notion of the time and it was reclined looking for the exact moment in which my life seemed to have lost its meaning. For hours, I stayed looking fixedly to the wall. An old basketball ring covered with clothes was my only pleasant memory.

Flashback:

- "Switch"! he made it again -.

- Hey Takeru! stop for a moment -.

-What? -.

I will install some equipment here, so be careful when you play please -.

-Don't worry, there is a lot of space over here -.

- I'm just saying, probably bring more so don't get used -.

-Ok -, I said and I continued playing. Koushirou allow me to put a hoop to take advantage of the wooden floor, after everything I had found the place, near Shinbashi that turned out to be the most appropriate thing.

- I'm going out, I need to speak with Takenoushi-sensei in the University -.

- Really, why? -.

-There is not time of explaining now, just don't break anything… bye -.

That was the nearest thing that we had to a conversation. It took him 30 minutes in a bike to arrive at the university. He had refused to use another type of transport, "It's helps me to think", he said. The truth is that it was too cheap and didn't admit it. Although that attitude changed when he wanted something. And that whole serious facade could sink in the field of the bounces if he wanted with the purpose of step to some reserved area.

It gave the coincidence that Sora's father ending giving him classes, although according to him, the coincidences didn't exist and that everything was fated. My friend had the idea that if a respected member of the institution supported his project he would have bigger acceptance. However it was not the first time that had look for help without getting anything and Takenoushi-sensei was the last opportunity to sustain any intent of promoting their investigations.

Already from year beginning it's existed the insistence to give light about the truth. Supporting jeers and prejudices until the border of the impotence. However, my partner's stoic work was only the beginning of many attempts. In different places and with different people without never forcing, he didn't receive more than negative and even imperious benevolent pointing out that there was not public able to be shown interested in their fantasize.

The sun was present for those times, without even suspect of imminent fatalities or programmed manifestations. There in the university it could imagine too another atmosphere type, without being mistaken. The incessant movement of texts and articles that they rested on their owners. The certainly cold echo hardly tinged with the scarce human heat of the establishment. Already without neither remembering what could wait or to feel from that place, there were not any connection or proof that we went able to give some favor.

Conscious of this, Koushirou had already located the professor, erasing any other image or sound that it surrounded him. In the depth of the corridor, it was perhaps the only person able to carry out some concrete contribution to our intentions. Both seemed unaware to the activity of the corridors, because they looked for answers to forgotten questions. One with perhaps chancier than the other one, without thinking of the consequences of pursuing their goals.

To the first movement what I said before, that truly atypical and reprehensible attitude of my friend to hide something similar to the intimacy.

-Good day professor -.

-Koushirou, hello. We don't have class today isn't? -.

-Eh, I know it. It looked for you for another reason. Do you remember my message? The data? -.

-Oh, yes. The truth didn't read everything but listen, I don't know if I gave you a wrong idea but my authority doesn't arrive as far as to promote that way of project -.

-If you revised another time you will realize of what I'm talking about; for me it is clear that there is enough to begin -.

-You aren't putting me attention -.

-I understand, but if you only saw my progress… -

-I don't doubt that you have made a good work but this is far for my reach. If at least you could convince more important people -.

-listen sensei, the interest in this is huge. You should know it, if I am not able to promote this information the truth could get lost forever -.

- And don't you believe that It's already been lost? Just take look around you; digimons aren't more than a vagrant memory for the world. Although it hurts me, I should also step a side. I owe them a lot but sometimes I feel that the life should continue just as it is -.

-I don't understand, I believed that you wanted people to know, that remembered -.

-I really want that the world believes in digimons again as much as you, but I am of tied hands, I'm sorry -.

-It's ok -, he said disappointed.

-I think that I was too naive to believe that it would be so simple -.

-Don't be so hard with yourself, you don't need me for anything that you be pursuing and if you are achieved as much as you say something will come up -.

-Thank you anyway, in that case I only have to keep working, I suppose -. He prepared to leave.

-Koushirou waits -.

-Yes? -.

- Are you ok? -

-yes, don't worry -.

- Do you have some time? I invite you something to drink what you say? -.

-I don't drink and it is mourning so… -, he babbled.

- And who say that it was alcohol? -, laugh the professor.

-well, in that case I believe that I have some time -, he lied.

(Already in a small place near there)

- Something in particular? -.

-Just green tea please -.

-That will be two -.

- Is this really necessary? I really have to come back home -.

-Stop that, you take things too serious -, said while he drank.

-It's that I left the computers working and I don't trust my partner's judgment -.

-You are one of the best of the class and you still have left time for… your hobby -.

-It is not a hobby; it is something that I have to do, my responsibility -.

-You are identical to him -, Takenoushi sighed seriously.

-Sensei… -.

-Sorry but I had to say it. I still don't understand why before you told me that you were Tetsuya's son-.

-I only said it because you knew it -, he murmured lowering his eyes like wanting to avoid the theme.

-He used to work without rest, didn't know best. He achieved so much, however… he was so young -.

-It's just that I never knew very much about him -.

-Listen, I don't believe that I'm the most suitable to speak of your father. I know that it is uncomfortable for you... -.

-No, it's ok. It was a long time ago, hardly and I had been born -.

-he had never accepted me an invitation to drink as you, no way, he was… well undecipherable, as if he didn't know more than studies and experiments. I found strange that in fact he married having no social capacity and at all. However it was able to have a normal life even when he passed all day with some equation or directing investigations -.

To guess correctly, the emergence of strange individualities had been mainly instinctive. As if, the circumstances requested special beings for special moments. It happens that way in times of change, a transformation in the path toward an unknown future impel the fantastic nature of the human mind and spirit. The machinations that make us exceptional or destroy us only mean the eternal constant of this and all the existent worlds: the change.

-I remember once… /laugh changing the tone /

He sat down next to me in the meetings of the conclave (both professors were know freemasons) and he didn't say anything for like… I don't know, a year. Until one day out of nothing he put on he's feet and ask to speak. We all are amazed, expectant /laugh / and he asked if they could close the windows because there was airflow. And the most amusing thing was that we actually obey him and continue the meeting as if nothing. After that, he sat down and never speaks again -.

Surprisingly this produced some joy to Koushirou, but with a strange nostalgia. That history sounded as something that he had made, however the figure that used to be its father was blurred and distant. Continually it had been refused to the idea of knowing who really was Tetsuya fearing that obsessed him. Unfortunately, every time that he heard something about him made more difficult to repress that necessity.

-It's incredible that you have turned out to be his son, the world become smaller every time -.

-no, not the world, but the human ignorance… excuses me sensei but it is necessary that I leave now. Thank you very much for your time and the invitation - he said with a reverence.

-as you want -, he said knowing peacefully that it could no longer stop it.

-Ah… exactly like him -. He thought taking another sip without seeing as their student disappeared after the door.

To be continued…